Gas-saving attachment



March 26, 1929. G. P. MILLER GAS SAVING ATTACHMENT Filed Aug. 1, 1927 6902 901. Miller Patented Mar. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATIENT OFFICE.

GEORGE P. MILLER, OF DOVER-FOXCROFT, MAINE.

GAS-SAVIN G ATTACHMENT.

Application filed August 1, 1927. Serial No. 209,871.

This invention-relates to a gas saving attachment designed primarily for use in connection with the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine. H

-One ofthe objects of the invention is to provide a member completein itself adapted to be inserted between the carbureter and the intake manifold and having means whereby any unvaporized fuel leaving the carbureter will be deflectedstoward thewall of the attachment and momentarily retained until proper-vaporization can be eflected.

A further object is to utilize a supplemen tal heating unit for insuring the proper vaporizing of the fuel in the attachment before said attachment has been brought to a high temperature by the heat of the engine.

A still further object is to provide a device of this character so designedas to receive a portion-of the exhaust gaseswhich are thus utilized for maintaining the temperature of the attachment at a high degree.

A furtherobject is to provide means for automatically cutting out'the supplemental heater after the attachment has been heated to a predetermined temperature. I

Another object is to providemn electric heater. for :initially heating the attachment and thefuel therein, said-heating unit being controlled by a suction actuated switch.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, ;the. invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed. it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown. In saiddrawings,

Figure 1 is a section through the fuel'saving attachment, the same being shown fastened in position for use. i

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the attachment. j

Figure 3 is a top plan view' of the lower section of the attachment.

Figure 4 isa bottom plan view of the attachment.

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the upper section of the attachment.

Figure 6' is a section through a portion of one of the members of the attachment showing the relative pitch of the bafiie blades and the peripheral grooves; 7

,Referringto the figures by characters of reference l mates-the top plate of the fuel saving attac ment, 2 designates-"the :bottom plate thereof, and 3 designatesan interposedgasket of'fiber or any other: suitable material. These, parts are adapted to be held together securely by bolts 4 which-not only extend through them but also through flanges 5 and 6 formed with the carbureterfoutlet 7 andthe intake manifold 8 respectively.

'Iheattachment'hasa central opening extending entirely through it alining with the passage in the parts 7 and 8. Formed within the bottom surface of the top platel concentric withthe opening Qinsaid plate in a groove 10in whichislocated a heating clc ment in .the form of acoiled wire 11 bent to circular fo rm and made of nichrome wire or any. other suitable resisting materiaL- ;This resistance coil is of coursejinsulatedrfrom the wall of the groove or channelin which it is located, vone end thereof beingwconnected to theplate 1 while the other end .is connected to a pin 12 extending inwardly from the plate l toward thecenterof the opening but insulated from said plate.- Formed within the bottom surface of the plate 1 concentric with the groove or channel 10 .is another groove 13, there being a suitable partition 14. extending across this groove to prevent gases from circulating continuously within the groove.

The bottom plate 2 has a ring 15 fitted snugly within the opening 16 in said plate, this ring being provided in its inner or concave face with grooves 17 while extending inwardly from the grooved face of the ring are inclined blades 18 each of which has obliquely disposed grooves 19 therein. These blades are all arranged in lapped relation so that it becomes impossible for any portion of the fuel to blow directly through the opening 16. Instead all parts of the fuel must come against one or more of the blades and flow over the roughened or grooved surface thereof. During this action any unvaporized portions of the fuel mixed with the gas will drain along the inclined grooves toward the grooved wall of the opening lfi so as thus to be retarded materially in their progress through the attachment.

The blades'18 cooperate to support a-hub 20 in which is arranged a sleeve 21 of insulating material. In this sleeve a pin 22 is mount ed to rotate freely and to one end of the pin is secureda small fan wheel 23. Two of the blades of this fan wheel normally straddle the pin 12 located inthe upperplatel and a spring 24 which is coiled about the insulating sleeve 21 and connected to the fianwheel serves to hold one of the blades of this wheel normally pressed against the pin. That portion of the blade contacting. with the pin, however, has a covering'25 of insulating material. The blades'are so pitched that when the fan wheel is subjected to the action of suction due'to the-movement of the engine piston, the wheel will be rotated to move this insulated portion 25 away from the pin 12" and bringan uninsulated blade of the-wheel 23' against the pin 12. "Normally, however, the spring 24 holds the" insulatedportion '25 in contact with the p in l2- as shown in'Figure 2. Formed within the-upper face of thebottom plate 2"'is a groove 26 provided with a partition 27"adapt'ed; whenthe two plates are assembled tomatch the otherpartition 14. An exhaust port-28 'isprovided at one sirle of the-partition 27 whileani'ntake-port 29 is provided at theother side thereof; This intake port is adaptedto be connected by a tube 30 to the exhaust manifold of the engine so that a portion of the exhaust gases willbe free to enter the port 29;'flowlongitudinally of the groove or channel 26 and exhaust through the outlet port 28. it mightbe stated that the gasket 3 which isinterposed between the plates 1} and32 is provided with 0penings 31 and-32"w'hereby the g'roove 26 can communicate with the groove 13 at opposite sides of the registering partition. Thus when exhaust gases enter the port 29, portions thereof can flow through the opening 31 in the gas-liet into one end of the-groove 13 and flow around said groove to the opening 32 at the other end whereupon the gases can exhaust down into the groove 26- and out through the port 28. Thus the grooves in both plates will receive portions of the exhaust gases and both plates will therefore be heated by these gases. In Figure 5 the positions of the openings 31 and 32 in the gasket have been indicated by dotted lines.

Arranged within the groove or channel 26 is an arcuate strip of, metal indicated at 33, one end thereof being anchored in the-wall of the channel near one side of the exhaust port 28 while the other end is located adjacent theintake port 29 andbears against one end of a short lever 34 fulcrumed at 32 in the plate-2. This strip 33 constitutes a thermostat.

Secured to the outer end of the lever 34 is acontactscrew 36 adapted normally to bear against a contact screw 37 carried by a plug 38 which is seated in but insulated from the plate 2. One end of a wire 39 is connected to the-plilg 38and the otherend of this wire nected thereto.

is electrically connected to a disk 40 of conducting material carried by'thepin22. This wire is insulated from the plate2l The-plates 1 and 2 are of course grounded to the engine. The. contact screw 36 is insulated from lever 34 and a wire 41 is con- Undcr normal conditions, after the switch has been turned on to close the circuit, the current'will flow through wire 41 to contact 36 thence through 37 and wire 39to shaft'22 andthence to'the fan wheel 23; However this wheel is normally posi tioned with the insulation 25 against the'pin 12 so that the circuit-cannot becompleted through said pin 1 2 and' the plate- '1. When the engine is started a suction will be set up sutficient to give a partial rotation to the fan wheel2-3 with the res-ult that the-insulation 25" willbe'movedi away From the pin 12"while the next unins-ulat'ed bladebfi the-wheel will come against the pin-1-2P'Ilhe wheelw-ill be maintained in this shifted posieiew against;

the actioizi of the SPIlHg'QP by the-continued suction-is'eti up by the engine and as long as the wheel isin contact with"the'-pin:'1 2 av circuit will be closedthrongl'v the resistance coil 11 to heat the plate 1 a-nd'adjacent parts and the fuel drawn-through the attachment will have the unvaporized portions throw-n radially against the wallfofi the-opening -'tlwough the attachment'whene it will befiirther' Va:- porized'by the heated plat-bear After the engine has begun to exhaust and". Portions of the exhaust gases have' entered and heated the plates 1- and 2-'as alreaxly explarined, it becomes unnecessary tofurthen'use the electric heating element? Consequently asthe attachment :becomes heated to a predetermined degree the thermostat 33 will expandand shift lever-34 so' as to-hreak the connee t-ionbetween the oontacts36 and 31. Thus the currentto-the heating coil-will" be cut off and t hereafter heating 0t the-attachment will be dependent on the discharge-of ex.- haust gases thereinto.

Importance is attached tothe use of the stationarylapping deflecting blades-18 with the obliquely disposed groove- 19 because these blades are heated lay-conduction from the ring 15 and when unvaporized fuel comes thereagainst it will be quickly vaporized or at least portions thereof Will= be trapped in-the grooves, deflected towand the wall of the opening, and becomeretarded in the grooves in said wall as shown: at 17. Thus with these grooves 1'9"and L7 together with the heated plates, complete vaporization' of the-fuel isinsured. Aalthough: the notches or grooves 17 in' the ring 15 canbe disposed at any angledesired,.it is preferred to have them spirally arranged so that line] rushing therethrough will be given: a whirling action until broughtagainst: the inclined blades 18 whereupon the gases will? be Thus the-coil will act as a heaterwhirled in an opposite direction. In other words it is preferred to have the grooves 17 spirally disposed but pitched oppositely to the blades 18. This has been shown particularly in Figure 6.

To facilitate the movement of lever 34 in one direction a spring 42 can be positioned thereagainst as shown in Figure 3.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the class described, a plate having an opening therethrough provided with grooves in the wall thereof, stationary lapping inclined blades Within said opening and extending toward the center thereof from the grooved wall, said blades having grooves in those faces nearest the intake side of the device disposed at such angles as to deflect unvaporized fuel toward the wall, the grooves in the wall of the plate being spirally disposed and pitched oppositely to the grooved blades, and means within the blades and concentric with the opening for heating fuel passing through the opening and in contact with the blade and wall, said means including a resistance coil, a stationary contact electrically connected thereto, and a fan wheel having an insulated portion normally engaging the con tact, said wheel being actuated by suction to engage and close a circuit through the contact.

2. A device of the class described including detachably connected plates having an opening therethrough for the passage of fuel, means within the opening for deflecting unvaporized fuel against the wall of the opening, a resisting coil housed within one of the plates and concentric with the opening, a thermostat housed within the attachment, a stationary contact electrically connected to the coil and projecting into the opening, a second stationary contact, a fan wheel within the opening electrically connected to the second contact, said fan wheel having an insulated portion normally engaging the stationary contact in the opening, yielding means for holding said insulated portion in engagement with said stationary contact in the opening, a movable contact cooperating with one of the stationary contacts for normally closing an electrical connection to the wheel, said movable contact being connected to the thermostat, the fan wheel being actuated by suction through the opening in the attachment to shift the insulated portion thereof away from the adjacent stationary contact and bring an uninsulated portion into engagement with said contact, thereby to complete a circuit to the coil, said thermostat when heated by the coil constituting means for actuating the contact connected thereto, thereby to break a circuit to the coil.

3. In a device of the class described the combination with a structure for the passage of gaseous fuel, electrical heating means therein, and means for deflecting the fuel toward the heating means, of a fan wheel for actuation by the gaseous fuel, and means actuated by the fan wheel for closing an electric circuit to the heating means.

4. In a device of the class described the combination with a structure for the passage of gaseous fuel, electrical heating means therein, and means for deflecting the fuel toward the heating means, of a fan wheel for actuation by the gaseous fuel, means actuated by the fan wheel for closing an electric circuit to the heating means, and means for automatically returning the fan to initial position and breaking the circuit when the flow of fuel is stopped.

5. In a device of the class described the combination with a structure for the pass age of gaseous fuel, electrical heating means therein, and means for deflecting the fuel toward the heating means, of means operated by the flow of gaseous fuel through the passage for closing an electric circuit to the heating means.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature.

GEORGE P. MILLER. 

